Container and package



Aug. 22, 1944. G. J. DATZ I CONTAINER AND PACKAGE Filed July 12, 1941 3Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

z N f n. mMw www W w Aug. 22, 1944. G. J. DATZ CONTAINER AND PACKAGE 5Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 12, 1941 5 Y R O E WWW w0 m8 M Wv fi+ w r w GPatented Aug. 22, 1944 signor to Pepsi-Cola Company, Long Island City,N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application July 12, 1941, Serial No.402,086

V 3 Claims. This invention relates to bottle carriers, containers andpackages of the type'suitable for use by consumers for carryingfromstore to home a small number of beverage bottles,- six' being thecustomary number. Carriers of this'type which have been most successfulcommercially have been constructed of cardboard or similar material, andare lacking in firmness and. durability; their handles being toothinforcomfortable use.

A general purpose of this invention is to provide 7 a carrier, containerand package of the indicated type that will be'within the. commerciallyprac-' ticable limits of cost, but which is constructed of when thecontainers are made of still material and are not collapsible.

, Qther objects are to provide a carrier or container construction thatcan be readily packed andemptied'in-the plant or the home, and which isconvenient to handle when containing less than the full quota ofbottles. The invention also instronger, stiifer material thanthecardboa'rd in' 7 general use. A feature'of the invention is theprovision of a novel handle structure especially adapted forconstruction from such relatively stifl, thicker material which isstronger and more eludes the provision of a container construction whichis adapted to'be readily manufactured from standard sheet material andwhich can be shipped knocked down, being readily assembled at the:point-of use. Other objectsand'advantages will appear from thefollowing description considered in connection withthe accompanyingdrawings in which Fig. 1 is-a side. view, partly in section, of apackage containing six bottles with the handle memher in retractedposition, its upper operative pocomfortable to use than the handles madeof cardboard or the like. A, further feature is the provision of ahandle madeof said stiff material that can be shifted intonon-projecting position within the body of the container and betweentheV V bottles to facilitate vertical stackingof thereontainer or packages,but which is readily lifted into projecting carrying position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a container and a packageconstruction which will facilitate the packing and stacking of suchcontainers or packages both horizontally and verti-- cally withoutwasting space and in exactly the same space for a, given number ofcontainers or packages. The type of carrier heretofore in general use ismade of relative flexible material which the diameters of thebottles mayvary considerably in practice, the resulting variation in transversedimensions of a number ofpackages arranged side by side is quitesubstantial. With the constructions disclosed herein the containersorpackages will always fit accurately into a carton or other packingreceptacle constructedfor them.

Another feature is the provision of an arrangement in which either thepackages or the empty containers can be stacked efliciently in verticalseries or tiers. In the preferred form the con-' tainers areconstructed-and arranged so that when they are filled with bottlestoform packages and are stacked vertically, theweight ofsuperposedpackages rests on the bottles. Another specific feature is.the provision of a container structure of the indicated type whichfacilitates stacking of the empty containers vertically in substantiallyless space than that required when the containers are filled,animportant factor sition being indicatedby broken lines;

Fig. 2 is an end view, in section on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1, of thepackage with the handle member similarly shown; i

. Fig-3.is an end'view similar to Fig. 2 showing a modifiedform; V V

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary'vertical section on line 4 lof Fig. 3;'and VFig. 5 is a detail section through the handle member guide constructionon-line 5-5 of Fig, 4.

The invention is illustrated in a carrier designed to holdsix bottles,though the same construction may be employed for carriersaccommodatingany even number of bottles. The carrier comprises a body 10including end H, sides [2 and bottom I3 is formed of materialsufliciently conforms to the dimensions of the bottles; but as};

stiff to retain substantially the same contour during use. Such materialmay be wood, fiberboard,

vulcanized fiber,'-pressed. or laminated wood, or

7 any of the various plastic-materials or combinations thereof which areavailable or suitable for production in sheet form. The carrier may alsobe made'of metal, or of various combinations of diiferent' materials.Itsparts should, however,- have suflicient thickness to'provide thenecessary strength and rigidity. v In the form illustrated in Figs. 1and 2, the bot tom 13 is composed of strips l4 overlapping the loweredgesof-ends II and sides l2 and slightly spaced'adjac'ent the center ofthe carrier as at l5. The sides It! overlapends II, and the overlappingbody elements are suitably attached to each other as by nails l8extending into the ends H ,With this construction, ends ll may be madeof wood or other material intoywhich the nails may be effectivelydriven, while sides IZ'and bottom I3 may be of fiberboard, pressed woodor |1 vertically slidable on ends I I between. upper" carrying positionand lower retracted position. In the lower position member l1 does notproject above the upper margins of the bottles I8 in the carrier, and inupper position extends above thebottles for a distance sufficient forconvenient grasping and use of the member in carrying the container whenthe bottles are in place. 1

For this purpose member H is advantageously mounted in verticalguideways in ends II pro-' I8. The latter arrangement has been found tobe advantageous, and the upper margins of nds II and handle member I1are, therefore, located slightly below the level of the tops of bottlesl8. Said upper margins of ends II may, however, be provided with a fiatportion 24 of suflicient extent t'o support a superposed container whenno bottles are in the lower container.

The upper side :portions of the ends II are advantageously cut away toexpose the outer portion of the upper partsof bottles I8. In the formillustrated this arrangement includes the provision of opposed slopingmargins 25 extending from the ends of the flat top margin 24 to flatside'margins-26 of ends II. The body sides I2 advantageously'extend tothe tops of side mar- A gins 26, or at least not above such tops, atpoints sufficiently high on the bottle bodies 2| to hold vided withsuitable stops to limit the movement of the member in upper and lowerpositions. In the form illustrated these guideways consist of verticalslots I9 in ends II slidably fitting guide tongues integral with memberI1. The outer ends of tongues 20 are flush with the outer faces of bodyends II, and the tongues '20 extend vertically for a distance sufficientto prevent any material lateral movement of the upper margin of memberII. The ends of slots I9 serve as stops engaged by the registering upperand lower faces of tongues 20 to arrest the member in the proper upperposition for'carrying, and in lower position suitable for stacking. Inthe form shown the lower faces of tongues 20 are flush with the bottomof member I1.

The bodylII is dimensioned so that the bodies 2| of bottles I8 will fitfairlysnu'glyagainst each other and the adjacent portions of the body,both at oppositesides of the carrier, the illustrated embodiment beingproportioned so that the lower edge of member I1 barely clears theadjacent portions of bottle necks 22. This illustration, however, is notintended to be restrictive, since the invention includes an arrangementin which the lower portion of member I'I extends into contact with orbetween said rows of bottles, serving in lowermost position to assist inholding the bottles in place.

Handle member I1 is provided with a finger opening 23 extendinghorizontally for a distance sufficient to accommodate the fingers.Opening 23 is spaced from the upper dge of handle mem- -thebottlessecurely in position. In the form shown sides I2 and side margins26-extend substantially to the top of the bottle bodies 2|. If

desired, sides l2 may be apertured to expose the labels or otherportions of the bottle bodies.

In the modified construction illustrated in Figs. 3, 4 and 5 reinforcingstraps 30 which may be'of thin metal readily bent to the desired'shapeand readilypierced by nails I6 xtend, across bottom I3 andsides I2in'register with ends II, the nails I6 passing through straps'30, whichmay terminate about half way up the sides I2 as I1, differingprincipally in the supporting and mounted on member 31 in register withguide tongue 20 and having a portion engaging the outer face of theadjacent endl I to prevent endwise movement of said tongue in its slotI9. The

' specific form of guide member illustrated consists of a fiathead 39lyingagainst the outer face of tongue 20 and extending inwardly at eachside of the tongue'beyond the adjacent end II. An inturned fiange 4|! ateach side of head 39 lies against the inner face of the head andconnects it with a face plate 4| which lies against the side her I1 by'adistance sufficient to provide a strong rigid handle, and overlaps thespaces at each side of the neck 22 of the central bottle, providingfinger space for the user which facilitates insertion of fingers inopening'23 when the member I1 is in lower'position and the container isfilled upper carrying position being part of the normal procedureof theuser in picking up the carrier. The'clearance between tongues" and slotsI9 is advantageously suflicient to permit member I1 to drop of its ownweight into retracted position when the carrier has been set down andthe member I1 released by the user.

The construction as described is adapted for verticalstacking with thesuperposed container resting on either the upper margins of body ends II(and on the upper margin of handle member I1 if desired) or upon theupper ends of bottles Q with bottles, the movement of member I1 intoface of tongue 20 and extends inwardly along the surface of handlemember 31, to which it is attached by suitable means. In the form shownsuch means includes a retaining tongue 42 struck from each face plate 4|and forced into the material of member 31 (Fig. 5), each tongue 42extending toward head 39. Further retaining elements may also beprovided, such as pointed retaining projections 43 located above andbelow each tongue 42 and likewise forced inwardly into the material ofhandle member 31.

The various parts of guide member 38 may readily be formed from a singlepiece of standard sheet metal by simple operations, and the members 38may be readily placed in position over tongues 20 after the latter havebeen inserted head 39 beyond ends ll, suitable recesses 44 may beprovided in the outer faces of ends H at either side of slots 19, intowhich the lateral projecting portions of guide member heads 39 extendwith flanges 40 slidingly engaging the inner faces of the recesses 44and with the outer faces of heads 39 flush with or inset from the outerfaces of ends II.

In this form the lower margin of handle member 31 extends downwardlyinto register with the bodies 2| of bottles l8, being positioned betweenthe bodies of the two rows of bottles and serving to hold the bottles in:place, with the bottles of one row out of contact with the bottles ofthe other row. For this purpose the lower -margin of member 31 is shownas extending below tongues 20, though this showing is not intended to'berestrictive.

The disclosed type of construction provides a particularly neat andattractive package in which the upper portions of the bottles arevisible and accessible, although the bottles are securely held in place.It also provides economy of material and simplicity in cutting.Moreover, it permits ready stacking of the empty containers with economyof space. .When a row of containers is placed with sides I! contactingand in register, a second row may be stacked thereon by inverting thecontainers of such row and placing them between the containers of thefirst row with the sloping margins 25 resting on each other. Additionalpairs of tiers maybe similarly superposed.

This construction also provides adequate material around guide slots IS,the upper ends of which are advantageously spaced about equally from thetop margins 24 and'sloping margins 25, to provide the required strengthand rigidity.

The container constructed in the indicated manner is strong, light andconvenient to use. The bottles may be readily-and rapidly inserted andremoved. In the form illustrated in Figs.

1 and 2 the distance between the top of each side l2 and the lowermargin of the handle member H in retracted position is advantageouslygreater than the width of a bottle body 2| to facilitate insertion ofthe first row of bottles and removal of the last row. The second row canbe inserted by lifting handle member l'l if necessary, though the partscan be proportioned so that this is not necessary. Moreover, if themember I! tends to obstruct the withdrawal of a bottle it willautomatically be lifted by such withdrawal until it is free of thebottle. In the form shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5 the handle member 31 canlikewise be lifted to facilitate insertion or removal of the bottles l8,though normally this is not necessary since the bottles are free forvertical movement when handle member 31 is in lowerposition.

While a construction has beendescribed which is assembled from aplurality of flat elements, and such an arrangement has many advantages,the'disclosure is not intended to be restrictive, since contiguousportions. of the body ID, or

even the entire body, are adapted to be formed either from a singlesheet of material which is appropriately bent or otherwise shaped to thedesired contour, or from plastics or other deformable or moldablematerials which may be cast, pressed or otherwise shaped into thedesired form. Likewise, although the handle memher I! has been disclosedin the form of an integral sheetof material provided with a fingeropening, this disclosure is not intended to re-' strict the invention,either as to the form of the handle or the particular arrangement formounting it slidably on the body In.

I have described what 'I believe to be the best embodiments of myinvention. I do not wish, however, to be confined to the embodimentsshown, but what I desire to cover by Letters Patent is set forth in theappended claims.

I claim:

1. A container comprising a body forming a compartment open at the topand having substantially rigid opposed ends provided with registeringguideway slots, and a handle member slidably mounted in the slotsincluding a retaining member extending through a slot and slidablyengaging an outer face portion of the contiguous end, said contiguousend being formed gaging elements fitting said recesses and locatedentirely within the plane of the outer face of said contiguous end. I

2. A container for two parallel rows of bottles comprising substantiallyrigid bottom, side and end walls of sheet material forming a compartmentopen at the top the end walls of the compartment extending above theside walls and being reduced in width above the tops of the side wallsto facilitate access to the bottles in the compartment, said end wallshaving registering vertical guide slots in the reduced portions of saidend walls, and a sliding handle member having a body of sheet materialformed with a finger hole and provided with a tongue rigid with andprojecting from each end of said body, each of said tongues extendingwith a slide fit in a respective guide slot and each of said tongueshaving an upper surface contacting a complementary surface in the upperend of each said slot to thereby support the container and its contents,the length of said slots being sufficient to permit said handle memberto extend above the tops of the bottles in position for grasping inupper position and below the topsand between the rows of the bottleswhen in lower position.

- 3. A container as set forth in claim 2, wherein upper margins of theend walls are provided with a flat portion of sufiicient extent tosupport a superposed container when no bottles are in the lowercontainer or when the height of the bottles in the lower container isless than that of the end walls.

, GEORGE JAMES DATZ.

